Portable refrigerator



March 1, 1960 c. B. HELLINGER 2,926,504 I PORTABLE REFRIGERATOR Filed Nov. 29, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet l i F9 I0 Clyde 8. Hal/Myer INVENTOR.

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United States Patent I PORTABLE REFRIGERATOR Clyde B. Hellinger, Mansfield, Ohio Application November 29, 1957, Serial N 699,619 2 Claims. (Cl. 62-236 This invention relates to a portable refrigerator and more particularly a refrigerator of the type which is capable of being carried. from one place to another not only indoors but also on trips, picnics and outings of various types. 7

An object of theinvention is to provide a portable refrigerator of the type which is ordinarily used for maintaining beverages or easily spoiled food items in a cool condition while they are being transported or maintained at a place remote from the home, store, etc. A refrigerator constructed in accordance with the invention has the importantfeature of being capable of being operated on ordinarilyvavailable AC. or D.C. electrical energy and also operable on sixv ortwelve volt supplies as found in modern automobiles.

My refrigerator is ideal for picnics and camping trips or anywhere a person may wish to go with an automobile and where there is need or use for a cooler.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of a refrigerator constructed in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is an end view of the refrigerator in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the refrigerator in Figure 2 and taken on the'line 3-3 of Figure 2.

connected in the refrigeration unit. The evaporator is in the form of a flat coil attached to strips 44 and 46, and these are secured to a wall of the casing 26, holding the coils of the evaporator 42 in contacting heat exchange relationship to the wall of casing 26. Condenser 48 is on support 49 and is located adjacent to an opening 50 in wall 20. A screen 52, grill or other like means by .Which to pass air, is in the opening 50 so that a blower (unshown) may keep a circulation of air flowing over the condenser. A group of louvers 54 are in the same wall 20 but spaced from opening 5G.

A pair of handles 55 and 56 respectively are attached to walls 18 and 20 and are preferably of the type which pivot to facilitate storage and lifting of the refrigerator.

Refrigeration unit 38 has been described as standard or conventional. There is a difference between the unit 33 and ordinarily commercially available units. The .motor that operates the compressor is wound so that it can op.- erate on A.C. or D.C. The plug receiving receptacle 58 in a wall of the housing 14 may connect to either AC, or DC. In this way low voltage D.C., for example the twelve or six volt supply in a motor vehicle, could be used to operate the motor of the refrigeration unit by merely interposing a standard device for increasing the voltage in circuit with the refrigeration unit motor. A stop and start switch till is suggested. Another circuit that may be used in connection with the motor of the re.-

frigeration unit 38 is to have motor 62 connect to an ordinary house current supply and operate in the expected manner. However, when the motor vehicle electrical energy supply is to be used, vibrator 64 which is connected The lid or closure 70 for the portable refrigerator is I constructed of a top panel 72. and a bottom panel 74 con nected together by strips along the edges of each. A de- 7 pressed portion 76 of bottom panel 74 fits in the open top of casing 2 6, and there is copious insulation between Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on the a line 44 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a schematic wiring diagram of the refrigerator.

In the accompanying drawings there is a portable refrigerator 10 which is constructed in accordance with the invention. The refrigerator has a compartment 12 within which to accommodate food and drink and maintain it in a cool condition. The portable refrigerator or cooler has a shell or housing 14 provided with a bottom wall 16, end walls 18 and 20, and side walls 22 and 24 respectively. An inner liner constructed of a casing 26, is located in the housing and the liner encloses compartment 12 on four sides and the bottom. The top of the compartment is open. lnsulating materi-al is placed between housing 14 and the liner casing 26, and the insulating material may be of any standard form. A vertical partition 34 extends from the bottom 16 to the open top of the cooler or refrigerator and abuts the insulation on one surface while the other surface opens into the refrigeration unit compartment 36.

The refrigeration unit compartment has a refrigeration unit 33 of standard form located on a support 48 and firmly attached to it. The support is in the form of a platform secured to the bottom wall of compartment 36. The evaporator 42 of the refrigeration unit is connected by pipes to the expansion valve and otherwise operatively the panels 72 and 74. A gasket can be used to achieve a better seal between the closure and the compartment 12. Hinges which may be of the piano hinge type or a plurality of hinges 78, connect one edge of the closure to a wall of the housing 14 so that the closure can be opened and closed with a minimum of effort.

In using the portable refrigerator or cooler, the food or drink is merely inserted in the compartment 12 just as in any other portable ice box of the type that is now very popular for picnics, outings, camping, etc. Then the refrigeration unit 38 can be energized from an available source of electrical energy and this will cause the evaporator 42 to become cool and cool one entire wall of compartment 12. This will maintain the contents of compartment 12 in a cool condition or if placed in the compartment while they are still warm, the contents will become cooled.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A portable refrigerator which comprises a housing that has and walls, side walls, and a bottom wall, a casing which encloses a compartment, said casing being smaller than said housing and located within said housin-g, insulation between the walls of said casing and the walls of said housing to insulate said compartment, a partition in said housing having a surface against which the insulation abuts and separating the housing into a refrigeration unit compartment and a food and beverage compartment, a refrigeration unit mounted in part in said refrigeration unit compartment and having an evaporator in said food and beverage compartment, said evaporator consisting essentially of a fiat evaporator coil which is in contact with a surface of a wall of said casing and located between said wall of said casing and an opposing wall of said housing, said refrigeration unit having an electric motor and a compressor that is driven by the electric motor, and means operatively associated with the motor for energizing the motor by selected voltages of electrical potential so that the motor can be operated from house current or from the current available in the electrical system of a motor vehicle, said opposing wall of saidchousing having a recess therein receiving said evaporator coil, and upright strips secured to said opposing wall within said recess and holding said evaporator coil in contact with said surface of a wall of the casing and spacing said evaporator coil from said opposing wall.

2. A portable refrigerator which comprises a housing that has end walls, side walls, and a bottom wall, a casing which encloses a compartment, said casing being smaller than said housing and located within said housing, insulation between the walls of said casing and the walls of said housing to insulate said compartment, a

partition in said housing having a surface against which 30 the insulation abuts and separating the housing into a refrigeration unit compartment and a food and beverage compartment, a refrigeration unit mounted in part in said refrigeration unit compartment and having an evaporator in said food and beverage compartment, said evaporator consisting essentially of a flat evaporator coil which is in contact with a surface of a wall of said casing and located between said wall of said casing and an opposing wall of said housing, said refrigeration unit having an electric motor and a compressor that is driven by the electric motor, and means operatively associated with the motor for energizing the motor by selected voltages of electrical potential so that the motor can be operated from house current or from the current available in the electrical system of a motor vehicle, a lid covering at least the food and beverage compartment, and said refrigeration unit compartment having an air inlet and an air outlet opening for the circulation of air through said refrigeration unit compartment, said opposing wall of said housing having a recess therein receiving said evaporator coil, and upright strips secured to said opposing wall within said recess and holding said evaporator coil in contact with said surface of a wall of the casing and spacing said evaporator coil from said opposing wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,532,234 Kimble Nov. 28, 1950 2,734,351 Stewart Feb. 14, 1956 2,859,595 Murphy et a1 Nov. 11, 1958 

